The Truth Doesn't Hurt
by alwaysshipping
Summary: Magnus and Alex both have strong feelings for each other, but they don't know if the other reciprocates. They both believe the other isn't exactly being truthful. Alex and Magnus learning about their crushes and eventually acting on them. Please review for more chapters!
1. Chapter 1

"Magnus, you need to stop!" Magnus Chase froze. He didn't like being yelled at, but he especially didn't like being yelled at by his crush, Alex Fierro.

"Um, what?" He replied, unintelligently. He really didn't know what he had been doing wrong.

"You need to stop staring at me, it's getting kinda creepy!" Oh right. That. Magnus never realised when he was staring, but Alex was so handsome that he couldn't help it. Especially when in battle. He was so graceful, but so fierce, not getting a scratch, and doling out plenty of punishment on the people who tried to harm him. Magnus didn't understand how he was so good, and how he was even friends with a loser like him.

"Magnus!" Alex was yelling at him again. They were in the middle of the daily battle, and somehow Magnus had managed to survive, even though all his friends from Floor 19, besides Alex, had already died.

"Sorry, I just zoned out." He knew it was a weak excuse, so he made sure to look sheepish as well. How did Alex not realise how big his crush on him was. Magnus really didn't care whether Alex was male or female, he just liked him for who he was. He was smart, witty, mischievous and fierce, but he also had a soft side, caring and considerate, listening to Magnus' problems (though sometimes making snarky remarks about smaller things, though he would never do it to upset him) and being comforting. Magnus was in deep, and there was no way he was getting out. He has been crushing too hard.

"Oh my gods Magnus, I'm done here, if you aren't going to stop staring then I'm leaving." She turned and walked away. _Wait, she?_ Magnus followed.

"Alex, wait, I'm sorry, please forgive me, I'm a worthless human being."

"Damn right you are." But she was smiling now, though it was more of a smirk.

"You're female now aren't you?" That morning, like most mornings, Alex had told them all her pronouns 'he/him.' Alex laughed, and Magnus was glad she was happy again.

"How do you always know Maggie?" She stopped laughing and looked at him intensely. Magnus didn't know what to do. She was scaring him, this time not because she was angry, but because she looked…hurt? Why was that?

"Have you been spying on me Magnus?"

"What, no! I would never do that! I respect your privacy, definitely more than the others do."

"And why's that?" The intensity of her stare made him take a step back.

"Because you're my friend, and they're basically barbarians." There was that laugh again. To Magnus it was intoxicating, better than any drug.

"Aww thanks Maggie!" Magnus hated that nickname, but from Alex he could tolerate it (secretly he liked being called it, but only by her). "Now let's get back into this!"

They both died shortly after that, Magnus first of course. When he woke up in his room about two hours later he looked up to see Alex standing there.

"You're cute when you sleep Maggie." Magnus' heart skipped about a thousand beats. He blushed heavily, and tried to hide it with a yawn.

"Now quick, get up, or you'll be late to dinner." And then she turned and walked out, leaving him to slowly die from his crush.

When Magnus finally got down to Dinner, the hall was busy with Valkyries flying everywhere, occasionally dodging a piece of food some einherji had thrown across the length of the room. Magnus' friends had saved him a seat, which he was grateful for, but it was next to Alex, which was slightly worrying for his health. Magnus grabbed a plate of food and walked over to his friends. He sat down next to Alex, careful not to stare at her. She was dressed in a pink and green flannel shirt, green jeans, rose gold high tops and a pink jumper. Magnus thought she looked very pretty, but he would never tell her that while their friends were around, and also from fear of decapitation. Dinner started off just how it normally did, Mallory and Halfborn joking around, fake arguing and kissing, and Magnus making conversation with T.J. and Alex. Then about halfway through the meal Alex turned and looked at Magnus. No, not looked, stared. Magnus began to realise how Alex must have felt about the staring, because it was creeping him out.

"Uh Alex, are you ok?" He asked gingerly, worried about angering Alex. But Alex just kept staring.

"O..k…" Magnus said, inching away from Alex in his chair.

"Oh Magnus, am I scaring you?" Alex asked with an evil grin. Magnus was scared. He studied Alex's face for any sign of something being wrong, but he thought he almost detected a look of…knowing. Sort of like Alex was flirting with him. _No, that can't be it,_ he thought, _Alex doesn't like me, he's made that clear enough_. But Magnus was getting flustered and confused, and didn't know what to do. The only properly formed thought going through Magnus' head was _he's male now_. Because he was, and only Magnus had picked it up. Halfborn stood up and spoke.

"Ok guys, Mallory and I are off, we'll see you for breakfast tomorrow." He did a little wave and the two walked off towards the elevator.

"I'm off too guys, I want to do some training before the fight tomorrow. Remember, tomorrow is Thursday and you know what that means." Thursday. Lindworm day. No one likes Lindworm day.

"Magnus, there's something I have to do in Boston tomorrow, do you think you could come with me?" Alex was looking slightly embarrassed, looking down and blushing lightly.

"Sure Alex, if you need someone with you then I'm your guy." Magnus didn't know what Alex wanted to do in Boston, but from his expression it seemed like it was something personal, so Magnus kept quiet, knowing that Alex would tell him in due time.

"Thanks Magnus, you're such a good friend." And with that, Alex got up and went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Alex and Magnus were walking through the streets of Boston, without any real aim.

"Alex, where are we going?" Magnus' voice startled Alex from her thoughts.

"We're going to confront my dad." She said with a perfectly straight face. It was hard for her to keep up this façade, but with Magnus with her she had the strength to do what she had to do."

"Are you sure Alex?" Magnus asked, and Alex could hear the concern in his voice. She was touched that he cared enough to be concerned for her, but she knew she had to do this.

"I have to do it Magnus, otherwise I'll never get over it." Alex felt hands on her shoulders and turned to look at Magnus. Magnus took Alex's hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Alex, you are so brave, you know that right?" Magnus' voice was full of compassion and caring, "And I'm here for you, so if you ever need any help, come to me." Alex looked at him, stunned, and then wrapped her arms around him.

"Thanks Maggie, you're alright I guess." Typical Alex, but still Magnus blushed, "Now, let's do this."

Alex led the way up the steps.

"Are you sure you want to do this Alex?"

"I'm sure, I need to get this off my chest." She knocked confidently on the door and waited. About a minute later the door opened and a man stood there. When he registered Alex he froze, and then glared at her, his expression so cold that Magnus thought he would freeze just standing there.

"Why are you here?" The amount of contempt in those four words was so overwhelming that Alex took half a step back. Then she shook her head, recovering.

"I'm here to talk to you about what happened to me after you kicked me out." Magnus could hear that she was trying to put on an air of confidence, but she was scared.

"After you kicked me out I was homeless. I struggled with life and contemplated suicide. I had depression and could barely make it through the day. Then, I died. I was defending a person in trouble when I was killed by a wolf. I woke up in a hotel. It's called Hotel Valhalla. But at no point did you care. I went to my funeral in disguise, but you weren't even there. You had stopped caring long before I was even kicked out, and now here I am, stronger than before." She stopped, and took a couple of deep breaths. Magnus could see that she had tears running down her face. Magnus felt like he had to say something.

"You're really cruel, you know that? Just because someone isn't like you doesn't mean they're bad. Alex is the best person I know, and the strongest, and she isn't what you would consider _normal_." He said the word normal with such contempt that Alex thought she saw her dad's face pale from the tone. As soon as he finished his little rant Magnus grabbed Alex's hand. "Ok Alex, I think we're done here, there's nothing this creep can do to help you anymore, so let's go." Alex just looked at Magnus and nodded. Magnus led the way, walking down the stairs and down the street. As soon as they were out of sight of the house and Alex's dad, Alex wrapped her arms around Magnus and held him tight. They stayed like that for a while before Alex spoke.

"Thank you, Magnus, I couldn't have done it without you." She sobbed, her tears wetting Magnus' shirt, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was comfort her and keep her safe.

"It's ok Alex, there's nothing to be worried about. I'm here, it's ok." Magnus comforted Alex like this for a while longer before Alex finally looked up at him again. "Ok, I think we can go back now." She said, starting to head off in the direction of the Hotel. "Oh, no you don't," Magnus took her hand, "I'm buying you ice-cream, it's a great comfort food." And he led her to the ice-cream shop.

"One choc-mint please." Magnus said.

"I'll have strawberry please." Said Alex. The cashier nodded, scooping big scoops into their cones. Once they had got their ice-creams they crossed the road to a small park. They went and sat down on one of the benches.

"I don't know how you did it, Alex, but I know that I couldn't have done it if I were in your place," Magnus shook his head, "you were so brave."

Alex didn't respond. She was sitting, eating her ice-cream and staring off into the distance. _I wonder if he really meant what he said about me to my dad._ Magnus didn't want to disturb her thoughts so he stopped talking. _She's so cute. I wish I knew how she felt about me. I know that I won't be able to live, even in Valhalla, if I'm exposed to her for too long before I spontaneously combust. She's just too- he's just too perfect._

"Are you ok man?" Magnus asked, breaking the silence.

"Maggie, it's so good not having to tell you my pronouns all the time." He said it in a small voice, blushing slightly, but Magnus didn't notice. "I'm just thinking about what happened, that's all."

"Well it's ok now, and you never have to see that disgusting excuse for a human ever again." Magnus took his hand.

"Thanks Maggie, I think we can go back now." And he stood up, still holding Magnus' hand, and yanked him up. "Let's go." They walked back to the Hotel, and they didn't realise they were still holding hands until they got into the elevator.


	3. Chapter 3

Magnus was confused. There had been something on his mind for ages. _Alex_. He just couldn't stop thinking about her. Especially since she had held his hand on the roof of the Chase Space on the Fourth of July. Her behaviour had been messing with his mind, and he was desperate to know what her answer to his bold statement on Naglfar was. She had asked for time to think, but it had been three months! Surely, she had come up with something by now. Magnus got up from the floor of his atrium where he had been lying, immersed in his thoughts. He opened the door to his room and walked to the Floor 19 common room. As he passed Alex's room he slowed down a little, listening. He thought he could hear the sound of cursing and pots breaking. He wanted to know what was wrong, and wanted to comfort her, but he knew if he did he ran the very high risk of being decapitated, so he kept walking. When he reached the common room, his friends, Alex excluded, were all there. Mallory and Halfborn were kissing on one of the couches, breaking up every now and again to have a good-natured argument. T.J. was sitting in one of the armchairs, playing Assassin's Creed on a PSP and occasionally looking up at Mallory and Halfborn with a strange expression on his face. It was almost…wistful.

"Hey Magnus." He said when Magnus walked in.

"Hello," Magnus responded, walking over to the kitchen area and grabbing a muffin. "Do you guys know what's up with Alex?" Mallory tried to hide her smirk, and Halfborn just chuckled.

"No idea, haven't seen her today," he said, "why don't you go and check on her?" There was something in his voice that put Magnus on guard, so he confronted them, his muffin forgotten.

"What are you guys up to?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.

"Nothing!" Halfborn responded, a little too quickly. He tried to hide the smirk on his face, while Mallory turned around to conceal her laughter and T.J. concentrated on his PSP to avoid showing the red in his face. Magnus was suspicious, but pushed it out of his mind because he was walking away to check on Alex.

Alex was frustrated. He was having a very male day. Why wouldn't Magnus just ask him out!? He was sure he had dropped enough hints Magnus' way, and had been thinking that Magnus actually didn't like him, contrary to his proclamation on the deck of Naglfar. He had been making pottery, as he always does when he's frustrated, but just kept getting it wrong. He sat down on the floor of his atrium, leaning against the tree in the middle. Why couldn't Magnus just see that Alex liked him? It had been three months since he had made his statement and Alex was starting to believe that Magnus hadn't been telling the truth. _KNOCK KNOCK._

"Alex? Are you alright?" It was Magnus. Alex didn't respond for a minute. He wondered if Magnus had walked away when he heard it again.

"Alex?" This time it was just a whisper. Out of all the people to come and check on her it had to be him. She – yes, she was now a girl – was crushing hard. Magnus was so kind and considerate. No one had said anything about her being upset, he just knew, and would comfort her anyway. And he always knew which gender she was, which was not just helpful, but endearing. She was torn. She wanted to see him more than anyone, but she was scared, because she didn't know what to say. He had come to comfort her, but how could he comfort her when she was upset about him?

"Come in." It was barely a whisper. She wasn't even sure she said it, but when the door slowly opened she knew she had. She didn't realise it, but at some point she had started crying. She shut her eyes, and the next thing she knew Magnus had sat down next to her and embraced her.

"There there, it's ok, what's wrong?" He said in his perfect, soothing voice. _Gods, why did he have to be so perfect? She didn't know if she could handle it, especially if he didn't reciprocate her feelings._

"P-promise you won't tell anyone?" She stuttered, not used to feeling this weak, but because it was Magnus she knew she could trust him not to laugh. _It's so unnatural seeing her display her feelings, it's just too cute._

"I promise I won't tell anyone about whatever is upsetting you." He said, and his voice was so kind, so compassionate, she just burst into silent tears again.

"It's about this guy," She began, choking on her works, "I have a crush on him, a massive one, but I'm not sure if he feels the same way." Alex studied his face for any sign of mocking or jealousy, but there was only compassion.

"I'm sure that any guy lucky enough to have you crushing on them would be the luckiest guy in the world." Alex froze. Did he just say what she thinks he said? Was he…implying something? Alex dismissed the thought from her head, as there was no way Magnus could like her, or so she thought.

"As if." She muttered under her breath. Apparently, Magnus heard her.

"Alex Fierro, you are the single greatest person I have ever met. If you truly believe that no one would like you, then you must be delirious, but I seriously doubt that." Again, Alex managed to choke, and started crying softly. They sat there for a while, Alex's face buried in Magnus' chest, Magnus slowly rubbing Alex's back. "So what's this guy like?" Magnus asked.

"He's funny, adorable, cute, super kind to everyone he meets and is a big softie, always being super perceptive of everyone's privacy, he loves books, tv shows and sappy movies, he's just perfect." She said this with such emotion, all while looking Magnus in the eyes. Magnus felt slightly jealous, but pushed the thought out of his head because he just wanted Alex to be happy.

"He sounds wonderful," Alex didn't detect any sarcasm in his voice, "I'm sure this guy has to reciprocate those feelings, because if he's that perfect he'll need your qualities to keep him that way." Magnus wrapped his arms around Alex again, and she buried her head back into his chest. Any embarrassment that Magnus may have felt for hugging Alex was completely gone, his priority being comforting her.

Magnus didn't know how much time had passed. They had just sat there, Magnus holding Alex, Alex holding Magnus, neither wanting to let go. Thoughts were running through both of their heads. Little did they know that each person was thinking of the other.

 _I wish I could tell her how I feel,_ Magnus was thinking, _but she has just said that she has a crush on someone, and there's no way it's me, the truth isn't fun._

 _I really hope I didn't blow it,_ Alex thought, _if I screwed up any chances of him liking me, then I would be too hurt, but that'd be the truth. I have to try something though._

"Hey Magnus?" Came the small voice from Magnus' chest.

"Yeah?"

"Could you sleep here tonight?" Magnus didn't respond. Alex thought she'd blown it. _There goes any chance of him liking me. What sort of person asks a friend to sleep with them if they aren't in a relationship._ Alex was worried. _He doesn't like me and he's realised I like him._

"Of course, Alex, anything for you." Alex blushed, burying her face in his chest again so Magnus wouldn't see. _I wonder if I'll be able to survive,_ Magnus thought, _without dying from overexposure to Alex Fierro._


	4. Chapter 4

_What happened last night?_ Magnus woke up groggily, not knowing where he was. Then suddenly it hit him. He could see the pottery studio at the other end of the room. _Alex asked me to sleep here last night_. He looked down at his chest, where he had suddenly registered pressure. There was Alex, snuggled up to his chest, his arms around him, refusing to let go, even while sleeping. _He's so cute._ Magnus just couldn't move, he didn't want to disturb him. Magnus sighed softly so that Alex wouldn't hear. All he wanted was for Alex to like him back. He thought that Alex didn't have those kind of feelings for him, and that he was just teasing most of the time. He didn't want to tell Alex how he felt because he was scared and he thought the truth would hurt. Little did he know that Alex felt the same was about him. Magnus rested his head back on the pillow. _My life is too messed up. First I died and went to heaven, aka Hotel Valhalla, then heaven became hellish when I started to go on quests. The only heavenly part of this hell is Alex. I'm in this way too deep._ Magnus was having a tough time coping with his thoughts, and slowly drifted back to sleep.

They stayed that way for ages. It was only when Alex heard a loud disturbance from outside the door that he finally woke up. He looked up – unlike Magnus he had woken up knowing exactly where he was and he was happy – and saw that Magnus was awake, having heard the sound too. Alex thought it sounded like…laughter. A second later, the door burst open to reveal three red faced, doubled over einherji, laughing too hard to breathe.

"What do you want?" Alex's voice was sharp, even he was surprised about how curt it was.

"Sorry girl," Mallory began.

"It's boy." Alex and Magnus said at the same time. Alex looked at Magnus, surprised.

"Oh, really sorry," Mallory said, trying to contain her laughter, but also looking aghast at getting Alex's gender wrong, "but we couldn't help ourselves, you guys just looked too cute together."

"Yeah!" T.J. agreed, "It was too good an opportunity to miss!"

"Don't mind him," said Mallory, cutting T.J. off and not letting him say anything else, "it's good to see you guys are finally dating."

"We're not dating." Alex and Magnus spoke at the same time again. Both of them were thinking the same thing, _but I wish we were,_ though they didn't know it.

"Whatever," Halfborn waved his hand, "well, have fun with 'not dating.'" He said the last part with a wink in their direction, and then grabbed Mallory and T.J., who was still laughing too much to walk properly, and walked out of the room with them. Magnus and Alex just looked at each other. _He said that just to get on my nerves,_ Alex thought, _Mallory must have told him about me liking Magnus._ Magnus was thinking along similar lines. _I can't believe he said that, I trusted him with the knowledge of my crush and then he says that?_ Alex was furious, and Magnus was hurt. But they were both thinking _I will get them back for embarrassing me._

It was lunch, and Alex and Halfborn were arguing. Magnus had tuned out, he had heard it enough times, and was studying Alex's face. They were arguing about what real art was (Halfborn had a PhD in art of course), and Magnus thought it was cute how passionate Alex was getting. _In fact,_ Magnus thought, _he's just cute all the time. And beautiful. And hot. Dammit how am I ever going to get the courage to tell him how I feel._

"I bet Mallory and I could beat you and Magnus at a pottery competition!" Halfborn's sudden declaration had everyone at the table listening.

"Yeah right," Alex responded, "Time and place?"

"The pottery studio where you do Pottery 101, three hours after the battle."

"It's on!" Alex shook Halfborn's hand, sealing the deal. Magnus hadn't even had a chance to complain.

The battle went by quickly. Alex told Magnus to die quickly, and because he was a good boy who does what he's told (definitely not because it was his crush who told him to do so) he did. When he woke up, there was Alex sitting on the end of his bed. As soon as Alex saw he had woken up he took his hand and pulled him up.

"Come on, I have to teach you how to make pottery, and we only have two and a half hours." He pulled Magnus along, out of his room, and in to Alex's room. They walked over to Alex's mini pottery studio and it was only once they got there that Alex realised they were still holding hands and let go. Magnus immediately missed the warmth of his hand, but didn't say anything. Alex grabbed a couple of stools and placed them down by the bench.

"Ok, so pottery really isn't that hard once you get the hang of it, but that could take a while, so why don't you watch me make one, and then you can have a go."

"Sounds like a plan." Magnus said, contrary to the thoughts in his head which were screaming _YOU'RE IN ALEX'S ROOM AND HE'S ABOUT TO TEACH YOU POTTERY, HIS FAVOURITE PASTTIME!_ Magnus knew it was just for the competition, but he still wanted to think that just maybe Alex actually wanted to teach him the thing he liked most, and spend some time with him. Magnus watched Alex make the pot, and listened to him say the occasional tip, but he wasn't really listening. He was transfixed by Alex, mesmerised by the way he worked the pot, his slender fingers moving around, transforming the blob of clay into a work of art. Before Magnus knew it, Alex had finished.

"Ok, now it's your turn." Alex said.

"Um, uh, ok, but I don't think I'll do very well." Magnus responding, mentally cursing himself for not paying more attention. _But it's Alex, and he's too gorgeous_ , his brain said. _Shut up brain,_ Magnus thought. Alex placed a ball of clay onto the pottery wheel.

"Let's get this started, I need you in good shape for this competition."

Alex was worried. Magnus was not just a beginner, he had NEVER done pottery before. His first attempt had failed almost immediately, when he turned the wheel up to a very high setting, and the ball flew off, almost hitting Alex in the face.

"Ok, let's try that again, but this time use a lower setting." Alex was trying to sound helpful, but inside he was frustrated. He had to beat Halfborn, so he had to get Magnus' skills up to a competent level. Magnus tried again, the wheel on a lower setting, but after about two minutes Magnus destroyed the pot by pressing down too hard, and the clay just crumpled. _Good thing he's so cute,_ Alex thought, _otherwise I would have killed him by now._ Alex was having conflicted thoughts. He had an idea about how he could help Magnus, but it was sappy, and if Magnus didn't have the same feelings then he could be flat out rejected. Alex edged closer and closer to Magnus, until he was behind him. Alex reached his arms out, wrapping them around Magnus, and took Magnus' hands in his, manoeuvring Magnus' hands to pick up the clay.

"This time I'll help you." Alex said. It was a good thing that Magnus was facing the other way, because otherwise he would have seen Alex blushing furiously.

"Ok." Magnus responded, his voice small. He didn't trust himself to say anything else. Alex moved Magnus' hands slowly, forming the base of the pot. In his head he was thinking about how close he was to Magnus. It was almost intimate. Alex pushed the thought out of his head. Magnus didn't think of him that way, he just knew he had to make a pot. Alex then manoeuvred Magnus' hands so that they were making the basic pot shape, essentially just a column.

"Are you following Magnus?" Alex didn't want this mental torture to go on for longer than it had to.

"Yep." Magnus' voice sounded timid, almost like he was scared of Alex. Alex mentally face palmed. _Of course he's scared, I just gave him a hug when he doesn't even like me._

"Good." Alex continued to move Magnus' hands until, eventually, a pot was made. Alex stayed in the hug position for a bit longer before, reluctantly, he moved away. He immediately missed Magnus' warmth.

"Do you think you can do it without me this time?" Alex didn't want to have to go through that horror again.

"I-I think so." _That's weird,_ Alex thought, _Magnus is stuttering._

"Ok, then let's get to it."

It took a couple of tries, but eventually Magnus managed to make a pot up to Alex's standards.

"Ok, I think we're ready for this competition." Alex was pleased. He had gotten to spend time with Magnus, and taught him his favourite thing to do.

"If you say so." Magnus didn't seem very confident in his abilities.

"Just remember what I taught you and you'll be fine." _If I don't end up dying from the embarrassment of remembering what happened,_ Magnus thought. He was blushing just thinking about it. He turned around to hide the blush, and walked towards the door.

"Ok, I'll just go now and I'll see you there." As he walked out the door Alex thought, _I'll miss you._

The pottery studio was on Floor 78. By the time Magnus got there everyone else was already there. There was also a small crowd who had heard about a competition and had come to see what it was all about. When Magnus walked in Halfborn noticed him and gave out a cheer.

"Ok, it looks like everyone is here, let's get this thing started. First of all, the terms. If we win, then we get to kill you every day for the rest of the month in embarrassing ways, and also the two of you have to go on a date." Halfborn's terms were pretty embarrassing, but before Magnus could object Alex spoke up.

"And if we win, the two of you – as well as T.J. – have to stop teasing us, forever, and we get to kill you in embarrassing ways every day for the rest of the month, AND you have to give us whatever we want for the rest of the week." Halfborn grinned.

"Those are my kind of terms. It's a deal." Alex and Halfborn shook hands and that was that. Magnus really hoped that they would win, because having to go on a date with Alex, while it was what he wanted, would probably kill him from embarrassment, especially because their "friends" would be watching everything they did. T.J., who was the 'adjudicator' for the competition, spoke up.

"You have one hour to make two pots, one per person. You cannot get help from your partner and you cannot sabotage the other team's creations. Your time starts…NOW!" And with that everyone ran to their stations.

Alex made his pot first. He and Magnus had had a mini team huddle and decided that Alex would go first and Magnus would watch, just so that he could remember how to make it in case he forgot. Alex was an artist. Everything he did he did with precision and delicacy, making no mistakes, while still making a beautiful pot. Magnus thought Alex looked really hot when he was concentrating on his artwork. _Stop that, you have to concentrate on the competition._ Magnus moved his gaze from Alex to the pot. It was the best pot Magnus had ever seen. The shape was curving and flowing, almost serpentine. It was beautiful. _Just like Alex._ Alex finished the pot and started etching his designs into the pot. He glanced over at Magnus.

"What are you doing? Get started on your pot!" Magnus realised he had frozen and hadn't realised that he had to start making his contribution. He quickly grabbed some clay and rolled it into a ball like Alex had shown him. He ran through all the steps in his mind. He began to make the base and then the sides, but he just couldn't concentrate. His mind just kept going back to Alex. Eventually he finished the shape. It was lopsided, but it still looked ok, and at least you could tell that it was a pot. He started to etch his design into the pot. He knew his design wasn't going to be great, so he concentrated more on not punching straight through the side of his pot. He had just finished when T.J. called out.

"TIME! Step away from your benches." Everyone stepped away from their benches and Magnus got a chance to look around. He saw Alex's pot and was immediately astounded. It was incredible. It had flowing snakes following the curves of the pot, with the occasional snake wrapping around the centre of the pot. Magnus looked over to Halfborn and Mallory, not expecting to see anything close to that standard. Halfborn's pot was good. _Worryingly good,_ Magnus thought. But Mallory's pot was even worse than Magnus'. It was stunted and essentially a cylinder. Magnus started to feel a bit more confident.

"The pots will now be judged," T.J. broke Magnus' chain of thought, "Would the judges please come forward." From behind T.J. appeared Helgi, the hotel manager, Blitzen, and last of all, Freya. "Could the contestants please move away while the judges judge." Magnus moved to the side of the room. He was joined by Alex, Halfborn and Mallory. It was tense. It wasn't for a full ten minutes that the judges finally came over to T.J. and told him their scores, which he wrote down.

"I have the results," T.J. announced, "With the highest score possible being 60, in second place, on 47 points, we have," he paused dramatically, "…Halfborn and Mallory!" Magnus looked at Alex. The same look was on his face, _WE WON!_ Alex suddenly hugged Magnus. Magnus was shocked, but went with it. When Alex let go, Magnus spoke up.

"Good game guys, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to contemplate how to make a better pot over the next month. Oh, wait, no you won't, because you'll be dead most of the time." Alex hi-fived Magnus.

"Good one Magnus." _And thank gods, no more teasing,_ both of them were thinking. "Well, I think we'll start with those embarrassing deaths now." Alex said, picking up Mallory's pot. She walked up to Halfborn and hit him so hard in the head that he crumpled to the floor instantly. He didn't get back up. Mallory looked at them, wide eyed. Magnus grabbed Halfborn's pot and shoved it over Mallory's head. It broke, knocking her to the floor but not killing her. There was a ring of pottery around her head, covering her nose and mouth. She was slowly suffocating.

"Nighty-night." Alex said as Mallory faded away. "Well, that's the end of that."


	5. Chapter 5

_ALEX POV_

 _ **FLASHBACK**_

 _The library was quiet. It was a safe haven for Alex, somewhere she could be safe. It was also where she met Joe, and where she would meet him every afternoon, when he finished school._

" _Hey." The voice came from behind the shelves to her left. Alex turned and saw there was a hole in the books, and in that hole, a face._

" _Hey, what are you doing?" Alex was drawn to his face, staring at his sharp green eyes, strong jawline and his wavy brown hair._

" _I thought it would be fun to talk through here." His voice was quiet, silky smooth, and it chilled her to the core. She loved it._

" _Ok, that does sound fun. So how was your day?" Alex would always ask this. He would never ask it back, because he knew what the answer would be._

" _It was alright, I did a maths test." His eyes watched her mischievously, suggesting that perhaps he hadn't quite been honest on that maths test._

" _Sounds great." Alex was completely smitten with Joe, but there was one problem. She knew he liked her too, but did he like her when she was a him? They had never met up when Alex was male. She didn't know why that was, but every time she met with him she was female. As far as he knew, she was just a regular homeless girl. No other genders in there anywhere. Alex noticed that Joe was leaning forward, and she suspected why. She leant forward too, and their lips touched. Alex kept hers there for a couple of seconds, but then she pulled away. She walked around the shelf._

" _What happened to talking through the books?" Joe looked like he was pretending to be upset._

" _There's something I need to know. What's your opinion on gender-fluid people?" Alex was scared about the answer._

" _Gender-fluid? You mean like they sometimes change from one gender to another, so one moment they're female, and the next they're male?" Alex nodded, "I think they should just stick to one gender to be honest, like how can you be two different genders?" Alex was getting upset now. She just had one more question to ask._

" _What about gay people. What's your opinion about guys kissing guys, and would you kiss a guy if you liked them enough?" Joe looked confused._

" _I think gay people are really stupid. How can a guy like another guy? And I would never kiss another guy. Why are you asking me these questions?" Alex was really upset now. She was on the verge of tears. Wait, no, he was on the verge of tears._ What a bad time to shift genders, _he thought._

" _Joe, I really like you, but there's something I need to tell you. I am gender-fluid. And right now, I'm male." Alex quickly went to him and kissed him. He shoved him away._

" _I was hoping you would understand, and that you would love me for who I am, not what gender I am." Alex was crying silent tears._

" _No, you thought wrong! I couldn't love someone gender-fluid, and I'm not a filthy gay, go back to the streets where you belong!" And with that Joe stormed off, punching Alex in the mouth before he left. Alex sat down on the ground and cried. He stayed there crying for ages, he didn't know how long, he lost track of the time. He finally stopped when the librarian came to see what was going on and why there was crying. Alex got up and left before the librarian could ask any awkward questions. That night, curled up in his sleeping bag, Alex thought about the incident._ How could I be so stupid? The one thing I was afraid of was exactly what happened, and all because I put myself out there. _Alex curled up even tighter and cried silently until he fell asleep._


End file.
